


Talks Across the Balcony

by alifletcher2010



Series: ACOTAR Au Week 2019 [4]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M, Fluff, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alifletcher2010/pseuds/alifletcher2010
Summary: ACOTAR Au Week Day 4: Modern AuWhen Feyre moved in to her perfect apartment, she discovered one unfortunate thing. Her neighbor was a night owl. That in of itself wouldn’t normally be an issue for her, but he liked to be a night owl outside. On the balcony. The one that was right next to hers. And there was no privacy screen.
Relationships: Feyre Archeron/Rhysand
Series: ACOTAR Au Week 2019 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572424
Comments: 4
Kudos: 73
Collections: ACOTAR AU Week, ACOTAR AU Week Day 4





	Talks Across the Balcony

When Feyre moved in to her perfect apartment, she discovered one unfortunate thing. Her neighbor was a night owl. That in of itself wouldn’t normally be an issue for her, but he liked to be a night owl outside. On the balcony. The one that was right next to hers. And there was no privacy screen.

The same exact place she liked to sit at night when the walls felt a little too close.

The first night she ventured out there, she hadn’t even seen him. So lost in looking at the stars was she, that she hadn’t even realized he was there until he stirred from his sitting place. The shock of having a shadow move nearly sent her plummeting to her death. She had beat a hasty retreat inside after that.

She didn’t go out on her balcony again for almost a week. Not until a note appeared under her door, written in an almost elegant looking scrawl.

_I promise I won’t bite. We can share the night sky._

After that she tried. She would go out on the balcony, but sat as far away from his side as she could. It didn’t quite feel the same knowing someone was just right there. She couldn’t quite find peace like she always had. 

But slowly, they found a rhythm. Slowly, she got used to him being there. It was kind of nice occasionally, to have someone to share the quiet moments with. They both gasped together when they saw a shooting star and both laughed together when their neighbors would stumble home drunk on the weekends.

Feyre didn’t realize how much she had become accustomed to her silent companion until she had to work three very late nights in a row. Each night when she got home, it was far too late for their normal rendezvous and she was far too exhausted to do anything other than sleep.

After the third night, she awoke to another note in the same scrawl under her door.

_Are you alright?_

The note carried her through the day. And even better, her boss let her go home early that day, apparently the bags under her eyes were visible to even him.

That night she finally talked to him.

“I wasn’t avoiding you, you know. I was just working late.”

Her neighbor laughed, “What? I can’t be worried?”

Feyre laughed along with him. “My name is Feyre,” she said after their laughter died down.

“Rhys.”

“It’s nice to meet you officially, Rhys.”

“Likewise.”

After that night, Feyre no longer stuck to her corner of the balcony. They talked most nights now, talking about everything and nothing. Other nights they just stared at the stars, thankful to have someone with them. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. The air turned cold and frost coated the railings of the balconies, but still they met, every night.

Slowly she opened up to him and he to her. She shared about her tumultuous childhood and failed relationships. He told her about the cruelty of his father and the woman who wrecked his life. Somehow he became her closest friend. 

And yet, they only met over the balcony. Never did they see each other truly in person. It felt safe somehow, having that barrier between them, keeping them protected from whatever they were becoming.

Then one night, the snow finally came. They were standing there, talking about nothing really, just winding down after a long week, when the sky opened up. First it came down softly, almost like magic. And then suddenly, Feyre could barely see Rhys through the snowfall.

She laughed at him, his dark hair already covered in snow. He smiled back at her, making her heart flip. “I think I’m going to have to call it a night early tonight. I think I’ll freeze to death if I don’t.”

Feyre realized she wasn’t ready to let him go. He became so important to her, become such a fixture in her life over the last few months, she craved more of him. Couldn’t get enough of him.

Before she could think too much about it, she asked, “Do you want to come in? Have some hot chocolate? I can’t have you freezing on me.”

She was breaking their unspoken agreement, she knew she was. But talks across the balcony were no longer enough for her.

Rhys face went quiet and Feyre felt her heart fall but then he nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

“Ok. Yeah, I’ll see you inside, in just a minute,” Feyre’s nerves were all aflutter as she darted inside. She quickly shucked off her jacket, turned down the lights, and flipped on the lights on the tree. She was just putting the kettle on when there was a knock on her door.

When she opened it, Rhys was there, looking a bit wet from the snow, but otherwise like a dream come true.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi,” he said back.

They talked well into the night, inching closer on her couch. And when he finally kissed her, Feyre thanked her lucky stars that her neighbor had been a night owl like her.


End file.
